Determining dormant or dead among the overwintered plants

Back to the farm with a thump. It’s a brisk minus 6C outside with the wind chill factor. So I have decided it’s time to really get the overwintering plants a look over. A water and a prune. Or a lobbing onto the compost heap.

I hauled out all the grasses and gaura so there is actually room on the benches to have a look at what has survived.

And to give things a thorough clean. There were definitely no action shots of the filthy rags that piled up as I scrubbed the linoleum benches and floor.  But it is my favourite sort of spring cleaning.

I had quite warm weather inside this building when I was away in London last week and it might have been a bit too dry for the plants.  But there is only one way to tell.  You just have to water, prune and hope.

Here are the ghastly looking scented pelargoniums before they have been attended to.

Crisp. Possibly dead. But actually I did prune back some green stems in among the mess. So I have  hopes.

I have watered them well and given them a feed of a few chicken manure pellets. If I were really kind, I’d repot them and give them fresh compost. But I am running low on supplies; so they will have to endure a bit more neglect.

The sedums, bless them, are fine. What a wonderful plant. The only thing I had to do for them was to remove the weeds that had grown in the soil and pick out any dead leaves.

When the weather warms up they will go back out onto the steps beside the guest house. But it’s a bit too early still. As this cold weather attests.

And another star performer are the mustard greens that have overwintered rather well. Tough as boots.  But a whole lot tastier.  We are having a few leaves daily in our sandwiches.

That’s the best you can hope for at this time of year; a bit of garnish to remind you what is to come.